heartbeat // zayn malik AU

chapter twenty-two

"A constellation of tears on your lashes.

Burn everything you love, then burn the ashes."

- Fall Out Boy [My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark]

For an entire moment, all I did was stare at the flames, standing stock-still like a mere statue. Then I felt a vicious tug on my arm, and Zayn was pulling me towards the exit. "Let's get out of here!" he yelled, dodging a painting as it toppled onto the floor near us.

"What about Jack?" I yelled.

Behind us, I could hear Head Crowley screaming something incoherent into the mic. Rather than trying to quiet the mass panic, it appeared he was yelling for people to clear a path so he and Council could escape. I tried to hide my disgust. Some leader he made, trying to save his own sorry butt without a single thought for others.

Then again, was I any better?

Sliding to a stop, I tugged on Zayn's hand. "Wait! You go on without me! There's someone I have to help!"

He stared at me in incredulment. "You've got to be kidding- Valarie! Get back here!"

Heedless of his shouts, I tore my arm from his grasp and began shoving my way through the crowd, all of whom were desperately pressing for the exit. I felt a blast of scorching wind sear the top of my head as the demon dove overhead, lighting a trail of flame behind it. A male angel let out a scream of terror as the edges of his suit caught on fire, filling the air with the choking odor of burning fabric.

Tearing my eyes away from him, I tried to get myself to focus. And no, I wasn't going back to save Jack--I trusted him to take care of himself. 

It was Amary-Rose I wanted to save. She'd rescued Zayn and I, and I was determined to make sure she made it out of here alive.

Reaching the stage where Council had been seated, I scanned the area frantically, finally spotting her. She was at the back reaches of the crowd, as far away from the sole exit as possible. Her kind blue eyes were watering as she coughed and hacked; as I watched, a rude young angel shoved her to the ground in attempt to propel himself through the dense mass of angels all vying for escape.

Rage bubbled in me, and I raced over to the elderly angel's side. "Amary-Rose!"

Shock registered on her face, chasing away the pain. "Valarie? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice betraying nothing but disturbance and fear at my appearance. "I didn't save you just so you could play right back into Crowley's clutches-" She broke off as another shuddering cough racked her fragile body.

Helping her to her feet, I snapped, "That's not the point. Put your arm around my shoulder and brace yourself." With that, I bulldozed my way into the crowd, attempting to clear a path.

It was harder than it sounded, though. Yes, I considered myself quite strong, but compared to the frenzied panic of angels... Well, there were several occasions where I nearly came crashing to the floor and brought Amary-Rose with me. Swearing under my breath, I tugged my heels off and began swinging them at people's heads.

"What are you doing?" Amary-Rose asked, clearly horrified.

I felt the slightest bit of guilt as I whacked a black-haired angel with the blunt of my shoes. "Trying to save our lives!" I yelled back, my voice hoarse from the air, which was quickly filling with smoke.

In all honesty, I was beginning to think it was never going to happen. The masses of angels was endless, and my mind was beginning to grow cloudy from smoke inhalation; it didn't help that Amary-Rose was a dead weight as she leaned against me, hacking and sputtering for oxygen. Nearby, the demon knocked a screaming angel to the floor, its teeth going around her arm with a killer preciseness. The sound of her screams echoed in my ears, and I felt my stomach heave; I fought to keep down the waves of nausea.